He wrote, "While the digitisation of books and the creation of a universal digital library would benefit many, the [amended settlement agreement] would give Google a significant advantage over competitors, rewarding it for engaging in wholesale copying of copyrighted works without permission, while releasing claims well beyond those presented in the case."

Google the Librarian

Google is disappointed by the ruling but not put off. Managing counsel for the search giant, Hilary Ware, said:

"We'll review the Court's decision and consider our options.

"Like many others, we believe this agreement has the potential to open up access to millions of books that are currently hard to find in the US today.

"Regardless of the outcome, we'll continue to work to make more of the world's books discoverable online through Google Books and Google eBooks."